


Old Home Week

by anesor



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Jedi Apprentice Series - Jude Watson & Dave Wolverton, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Bad Impressions, Gen, Obi-Wan makes no appearance, Old Friends, civil war aftermaths, clone wars treaty, from a SWModdy prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28082736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anesor/pseuds/anesor
Summary: The Senate, seeking to enlist smaller worlds into involvement in the war against the Confederacy, sends a treaty group to a world gone isolationist after centuries of civil war.  Melida/Daan is reluctant to get involved in someone else's civil war.Anakin expects to be bored while the Senators do... uggh, diplomacy.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 16
Kudos: 37
Collections: Shadows of the Clone Wars (NaNo2020 short stories)





	Old Home Week

\- Zehava, outside the Melida/Daan Unified Congress Building

The diplomatic vessel set down on the landing pad outside the civics complex proper. Guards and weapons emplacements were obvious to the Jedi and clone troopers. Anakin doubted it was as obvious to Padmé or Organa.

Rex and his picked squad had their gear prepped and were poised to exit first.

Anakin didn’t feel any immediate danger outside. The local guards looked professional enough  for an Outer Rim system , but he doubted they had the equipment or battle experience to be  too dangerous.

The officials who greeted the Senate representatives were younger than Anakin was used to  in the Core . Not as young as Padmé, of course, but Organa and Padmé were much younger than most Senators. Most were closer to the Chancellor’s age, even if they lacked his energy and dedication. All these officials l ooked younger than Obi-Wan and held themselves with an awareness and weariness of veterans.

Mellida/Dann had been relatively untouched by the war,  suspicious of outsiders and lacking desired resources as much as lacking ambituous population, they were left alone in their poor xenophobia.

The chief consular seemed to be chatting with the Senators easily, she didn’t stick her nose up at the troopers like most Senators or civilians. That didn’t fit such a xenophobic tag in A nakin’s briefing.

Rex blushed at what one local said, and Anakin wondered what was said. It was more a pleased feeling not anger or embarrassment.

Once the greetings had been exchanged and the diplomats moved inside, local security lessened their presence, but that left Anakin very little to occupy his attention. Watching for trouble was second nature, but trading quips with his Padawa during the boring parts was banned by his wife.

There were hours of the boring parts and even his Padawan asked him to shush through their bond during a speech that _she_ disrupted by giggling at the wrong time.

Eventually the torture ended and they were taken to a reception area with small foods and decorative drinks, and the groups began to mix again.

Anakin had a heaped plate of familiar and unidentified items that seemed appealing. He’d done this so many times while he was a Padawan, he had a running tally of odd appetizer combinations and flavors. He’d loved when he could point out ‘atypical protein sources’ like grubs or snails to Obi-Wan. Hi s Master woul d barely react visually, but Anakin could feel the hidden distaste  for some foods .

Tonight, the protein seemed plant or vat-grown, things he’d seen more on poor worlds than wealthier Core worlds. It was well-disguised and probably healthy, but Ashoka n eed ed more meats when she  ate …

“You seem dismayed, Jedi? Are you having a problem I can help with?” The oldest  woman, Phella Something or other, looked concerned. “It has been a long time since we hosted any Jedi, and we respect your m ission greatly.”

Anakin could feel her earnestness underlaid by a touch of an old grief. “No, just a minor concern for the dietary needs of my Padawan learner. She is of primarily a carnivorous race.”

Phella raised a hand for a calming gesture. “No, fear not. We still have meats, but not as snacking food. I believe there will be a deeply marinated and aged side of meat at dinner tonight as well as fowl and fish.  Would that help your concerns, Ser Jedi?”

That made Anakin smile. “Yes, of course. You understand my concern for my student’s health, of course?”

She looked surprised for a microsecond before nodding, in a way that bothered Anakin. He knew most outsiders never heard of the importance of Master-Padawan relationships. He added, “I am close to my Padawan,  but I am very proud of her progress and skills. She’s the little sister I never had and I want her to become the best she can be.”

A doubtful snort came from the official  along with a thread of old anger . “I am glad to hear that, we’ve had our doubts and concerns about treatment of these ‘Padawans,’ and how Masters exploit that devotion  like some kind of slaver .”

Anakin felt t hat p ulse of anger and could feel  echoing resentment too. “What the kriff makes you so sure we are slaves and slavers? I’ve seen slavery too much  and care deeply for Ahsoka. She is  _ family _ in all but blood.”

He could feel S nips’ worry and  her  coming closer  to back him up .

Phella’s disbelief in his w ords almost came to him in words but she held her tongue.

That wasn’t enough for A nakin so he a rgu ed  with the high counsel f or the world they were supposed to make a treaty with. Not that Anakin cared  about ‘supposed to’ right then. “What gives you the right to disapprove of how Jedi train?”

Eyes flinty now and not amused or conciliatory, Phella gritted, “Since a high and mighty Jedi Master abandoned his young teen student in a war zone of a bloody and world-wide civil war that didn’t care about the deaths of children. Then he only took the _‘beloved’_ Padawan back if he begged. _**That**_ is not family.”

That stopped Anakin’s anger cold and he felt Ahsoka close in against him for comfort. He touched her beads, r eminding him how far they’d come together.

“Skyguy would never do anything like that,” his Padawan declared.

“Yet it happened, I saw it happen. The Padawan, a bright and cheerful youngster at the time, just closed up to appease this Master’s pride and ego. There had been so much death and destruction and betrayal that didn’t break him, but he shrank every moment the ‘Master’ spent with him  and went to silen ce like an abused child . We always wondered how heavy a price he paid to go back  to your Order but we could do nothing to help  him . Our world was a mess and our  former  leaders corrupted too.”

“ I’m sorry you were in a w-,” Ahsoka said carefully, plainly looking for something politic to say.

Anakin interrupted, anger finding an absent target. “Is this why you haven’t seen any Jedi? You don’t trust us because of one karking nerfherder?”

“Of course.” Others were being attracted to the tensions, but Phella didn’t seem to notice and her compatriots only watched. “You Masters represent both the Jedi Order and Republic on smaller worlds like this. If you cannot be kind to each other, how well will you treat us?”  She looked at the Senators as well, “How well will the Senate treat a mote of an isolated system that is poor and doesn’t wish to be exploited to serve another  man’s Civil War?”

Padmé looked unhappy now too, as Naboo was far out, more Rim by location instead of  more  influent ial as the Chancellor’s homeworld.

Anakin tried to smile like his Master did in a bad crowd. “Some Masters have weaker people skills.  Who was it, we will take this report to the High Council. Make sure this Master harms no other  younglin s. Who was it?”

Grim satisfaction came from the Consul. “I won’t forget him, Jedi  _ Master _ Qui-Gon Jinn.”

Anakin’s gut churned and he felt dizzy at the perspective.

Ahsoka frowned. “Who was the Padawan? Was he dark haired and broody?”

That made Anakin look at his Padawan. “Who was that?”

“You never looked it up?” She was surprised now. “I mean Master Yoda is the top of a lot of lineages, but we’ve a lower count to him than most. Xanatos DuCrion Fell and caused a death of a young Initiate,  _ I think. _ Details are in Masters’ level archives  I can’t get to, yet.”

"No, no. He called Obi-Wan to heel like a half-trained dog.” Phella scowled.  "When the Master disavowed him  before, the  Three brought us  Young together from both sides.  But after victory,  Mawat murdered Cerasi  to return us to war. Obi had loved her, I think. He could not hide that if he tried, but we never heard him say the words aloud, you could see it. 

Anakin got dizzier at this change in  viewpoint. His mouth wavered as thoughts slowed to  silence.

Ahsoka grinned, “Master Obi-Wan is my Grandmaster.  He helps Skyguy with me, He’s really wise  and  makes great lines when destroying clankers."

"So he  _ did _ make it past Jinn? We worried he’d be scarred but no one would let us speak to him afterwards.” Another official scowled, looking only a few years older than Anakin said while crossing his arms.

Anakin felt unmoored as he could feel these truths. 

“Master Jinn passed over a dozen years ago, while saving my world from invasion and occupation. I’m afraid the queen knew nothing about any abuses he committed before that.” Padmé was sad, perhaps disturbed.

This made Anakin’s image of his Grandmaster crack badly. And wonder how much  that had affected his own Padawan days and relationship with his Master.  _ What happened? _ "How long ago was this?”

“Obi-Wan was just thirteen standard and all our parents and grandparents were determined to destroy the opposing side and salt the land. Over and over they’d fight for the _same_ lands. Something was very wrong when there were twenty battles over this city. The _**adults**_ no longer cared about our land or our futures but only destruction. Obi-Wan saw and understood how those generations laid waste to everything and abandoned us to war.” That dark-haired man was bitter and Anakin could spot old scars.

Phella touched the other man’s arm. “Obi-Wan advised and then helped command our counterforces to let us end the war. We forced our elders, who had long forgotten how the war started  to stand down and make peace.”

“Master Obi-Wan is a great General. He command s the Full Circle fleet and is on the High Council too. I never met Master Jinn.”  His Padawan was concealing her nervousness with chatter.

Organa interrupted the dwindling and weighty topic with a question about the evident reconstruction and prosperity. The other diplomats joined in and the mood lightened.

Anakin was trying to reconcile the kind Master who rescued him from slavery and the Master who abandoned Obi-Wan on a battlefield.  A cheerful in battle youngling with shrinking in on himself for a bunch of old Masters’ approval.

_ Xanatos? What else didn’t he know about his Lineage? _

Dinner passed, the fine carved roast was juicy and he could feel how much Ahsoka liked it. Padmé and the other Senators were debating the terms of the proposed treaty. Rex and the troopers were watching over them, all professional.

Anakin felt like he was floating  through the evening, thinking about this planet and its war.

Obi-Wan really had done  _ all this  _ _ war _ before: faced battles in terrible odds, been left hanging by Masters, scrounged through shortages, lost a first love, and led too young soldiers into war. 

_ Why didn’t he know all this? _

_ How deep were the scars? _

No unrest or conflict erupted during the conference, but the Melida/Dann were very cynical about the benefits of allying more closely with either the Republic or Confederacy. Anakin could not exactly blame them, he’d seen too many battlefields and decimated worlds.

Most of the night he kept cycling between his memories of Jinn, mostly about Tatooine and his pod race. He’d been encouraging, but pretty much said the Jedi would welcome him.

That was an exaggeration if not outright lie. There were long stretches where his only social connection was with Obi-Wan. All the others his age and his rank had so much more training already.  He missed people back on Tatooine more than the sheltered younglings he had little connection with.

Anakin could dimly recall some kind of muted shock and horror at Jinn’s words in the Temple, but the Temple and changes made him shut down as they argued over him.

He’d thought that was it for years, but he’d shut down just like Obi-Wan.

Anakin pulled out his comm. “Hey, Snips? Care to tell me about that Xanatos?”

She started talking as she got closer. “It was a real scandal. Master Obi-Wan was there and could have been sent away again. We’d all torture ourselves with how scary it would be to have Darksiders kill our Masters, leaving us orphans. Master Obi-Wan is famous in the creche...”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This is another story in the batch of stories written for NaNo2020.
> 
> The idea comes from one of SWModdy's prompt run. It's more about cracks in Anakin's beliefs about his Master and Grandmaster:  
>  _Can you write a story where Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, and some of the clones, (maybe Padme & Bail), go to Bandomeer or Melida/Daan for a mission? They slowly learn about Obi-Wan’s difficult past, letting them see him in a new light? (I always felt that sometimes Anakin put Obi on this pedestal of “Perfect Jedi” who couldn’t possibly understand him, but the truth is that they are more alike than he thought? Repairing their relationship & no more secrets will wreck Palpy’s plan._  
> \---  
> Does anyone know a cheap app that can remove the span /span tags in Ao3 text? the converter keeps splitting words, sentences, and paragraphs in the wrong places!!! You can go into the HTML to fix it but one paragraph of about two lines had six lines of span /span pairs without any other tags involved! Fixing it manually is a draining drudge...  
> \---  
> Star Wars is the property of Lucas and Disney. I make no profit from writing this story.


End file.
